Library offers a new way to explore the universe
Brian Gray from The Wilderness Center’s Astronomy Club will teach those present at the Before You Starwatch program how to assemble and use the Orion Starseeker IV.
The Tuscarawas County Library is about to offer patrons a new way to explore the universe. Their Orion telescope was purchased around the beginning of the year, and employees are preparing to make it available for checkout.
The Main Library will host a Before You Starwatch program on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. for patrons to learn how to operate the telescope. Brian Gray from The Wilderness Center’s Astronomy Club will teach those present how to assemble and use the Orion Starseeker IV.
The library also will host an all-ages star watch on Wednesday, Sept. 12 from 8-10 p.m. Several members of the WCAC will be there with their own telescopes to offer views of distant galaxies, planets and other celestial objects.
“We’ll have our telescope out that night as well if people are interested in seeing how it works,” public relations associate Molly Calhoun said.
There also will be an Astronomy for Beginners tween program for kids grade 3-6. Kids can “learn about the parts of a telescope, how to use a compass, discover astronomy apps and create a star finder” on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m.
The library hosts an annual star watch in collaboration with the WCAC every year, and when they decided to purchase a telescope, they turned to the group for suggestions. Calhoun explained they thought it would be a great addition to the library because many people may want a telescope for a specific event or their kids may start showing interest, but the expensive price tag prevents many from purchasing their own.
“It gives people the ability to come check one out for a couple of days and use it and get to experience it,” Calhoun said.
“It goes along with our STEAM kits,” emerging technology manager Virginia Wright said.
The kits feature numerous gadgets including an Amazon Echo and a drone. They also have recently purchased a small Celestron telescope for the kits. Training for that is expected for the fall.
The library is still working on the best way to store and check out the telescope. They also are trying to write simple, easy-to-use directions.
WCAC member Brian Gray has been getting to know the telescope in preparation for teaching others about it next month. He said there aren’t a lot of parts to assemble. The whole unit comes with a tripod, spreader, 114 mm GoTo Reflector telescope, a mounting arm and a bag of smaller parts. There also is an instruction booklet that includes a star map, the URL for a YouTube video to assist with setup and suggestions for star-gazing apps.
The telescope can be calibrated using a two-star setup. It will know what part of the sky it is looking at, and then coordinates can be typed for easy viewing.
“I just got to get the program together and make sure I have enough information for people to get started,” Gray said.
His goal isn’t to teach people everything about telescopes and astronomy but to get them to the point where they “at least know what questions to ask.”
The telescope was purchased in honor of Friends of the Library board member Susan Larking. Calhoun described her as someone interested in new technologies who always wanted the library to be prepared for the future.
“I die a little bit inside every time someone says, ‘Don’t libraries just have books?’” Calhoun said.
The library offers many things including blood pressure cuffs, magnifiers, the use of 3-D printers, a sewing machine, sewing kits, a computer-assisted cutting tool called Cricut, and a preservation station where patrons can download or convert old photos, VHS tapes, cassettes and LPs.
The library also hosts many programs, clubs and discussions. “Our programs do a lot to pull people together,” Wright said. “User groups form a community in themselves.”
WCAC hosts a public star watch on the first Friday of every month at 8 p.m. at The Wilderness Center. They also host meetings on the last Friday of the month except for December and have planetarium shows once or twice a month. They meet at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW in Wilmot. They can be called at 330-359-5235, messaged on Facebook or visited at www.twcac.org/.
Further information about the telescope can be found by calling the Tuscarawas County Public Library at 330-364-4474 ext. 101 or by visiting them at 121 Fair Ave. NW in New Philadelphia.